Just wait until you get your way and the world starts actually using Linux instead of Windows. At which point we will start getting virus warnings for both Windows and Linux.
Design 1: Way too cluttered to be useful. I like the colour scheme and style. Maybe they could take the original and apply the style. Score 2.5/5
Design 2: Why the f*ck do you want to see conspiracy theories when you are looking for recipes or tv show details? Anyway, all she did was cut and paste a declassified document onto the current page. Score: 0/5
Design 3: This actually looks decent, although I really don't see the reason for putting a typewriter and some design that looks as if it was taken from a $50 note has to do with searching. The colours are good, not too graphically taxing (will have to lose the typewriter and money design, of course). Score: 2/5
Current Design: Simplicity plus. I cannot find any fault with the design. Score: 5/5
Having WMP on the machines from the start does not force content providers to put the media in WMP specific formats. The content providers can still put their media into formats like MPEG or MP3, which are basically universal.
I believe this whole argument has lost sight of the target audience, the users. As a user if i can install, or be provided already, one piece of software that will cover 90+% of all situations I am likely to encounter, I am happy.
Spare a thought for all the users with little IT knowledge that want to watch their movie trailers and listen to song samples from the latest CDs. Don't you think they would be a bit annoyed if every site provided different format media that required their own player software? The content providers would be shooting themselves in the foot. Hence they would all return to a de facto standard, probably WMP because the normal user doesn't have to do much to get it on their computer.
In the end this EU decision (if it happens) will make no difference. MS will still be on 95% of PCs and WMP will be a simple download when the computer is first turned on.
And you know, if they haven't got any third-party players, they will still have some form of Windows Media Player on their computer. So WM is the safe, easy option.
Then why is MS getting penalised for people taking the safe, easy option?
But Windows Media Player does play other formats. It also plays MP3, MPEG, WAV, AVI, MIDI and AU format files out of the box. MS provided other options and there are plenty other pieces of software out there that plays those formats too.
The company could have encoded their videos into AVI or MPEG formats and reached 100% of the market.
Has the general PC using population ever heard of Firefox, GAIM or Thunderbird? I doubt it.
If the software isn't included, MS will just have a link on the desktop saying "Enable the World Wide Web", "Enable your Email" or "Chat to your friends instantly!", when clicked on will download a fluffy installer and install the modules to get it back to the full version.
This ruling, if it goes against MS, won't really change much. All it will do is make the EU feel good about themselves...
Let us just imagine that the EU forces MS to sell a stripped down version of Windows. When the normal user gets home, plugs it in and fires it up, they are going to want applications to help them along.
First, IE has to come with the OS just so they can utilise the standard web browsing capability. To download new software they need to be able to get to the web sites, why would they download another browser if they already have one? If IE is not included, where are these people going to go to get their software? It will be like going back to the trumpet Winsock days.
Secondly, a fairly sizable number of web sites offering sound and video clips use WMP format files to deliver their content, the user will download WMP to be able to watch/listen.
The stripped down version of Windows has now become the full version through the wants of the user.
The only people who will buy the stripped down version of windows are probably the same people who use Linux/Mozilla/Thunderbird/OpenOffice, the only reason for them to change is to play games.
Slashdot Mirror
How do you use a command line interface on an ipod?
something like drilling a hole to the center of the earth!
Akin to digging a hole in a bucket of diarhoea...
You know, it could just be a ploy to slashdot the ebay servers...
Score: +1, Realist
taking your registration information from nytimes.com
Oh no!
I guess using that generic username of 'abcdef' is gonna confuse the demographic information a bit.
Oops, my bad
Damn my brain working faster than my fingers...
Whoever wins this years US presidential election is going to fight (or at least whinge about) the results due to the crap these machines produce.
But with money going to the Republicans from Diebold, you know who will win.
Just wait until you get your way and the world starts actually using Linux instead of Windows. At which point we will start getting virus warnings for both Windows and Linux.
So you think that having Ridley Scott or James Cameron giving reasons why they did a scene a certain way through a directors commentary is a waste?
Cleaning the screen will be a real bitch then...
You are, of course, assuming that VALinux is a Fortune 1000 company...
You are a funny fellow.
Just let go of your suspicion and paranoia and put your trust in someone for a change. What's the worst that can happen?
War?
I agree...
Design 1: Way too cluttered to be useful. I like the colour scheme and style. Maybe they could take the original and apply the style. Score 2.5/5
Design 2: Why the f*ck do you want to see conspiracy theories when you are looking for recipes or tv show details? Anyway, all she did was cut and paste a declassified document onto the current page. Score: 0/5
Design 3: This actually looks decent, although I really don't see the reason for putting a typewriter and some design that looks as if it was taken from a $50 note has to do with searching. The colours are good, not too graphically taxing (will have to lose the typewriter and money design, of course). Score: 2/5
Current Design: Simplicity plus. I cannot find any fault with the design. Score: 5/5
Google button idea... Score: N/A
BTW, I think you should have used 'They're'.
Having WMP on the machines from the start does not force content providers to put the media in WMP specific formats. The content providers can still put their media into formats like MPEG or MP3, which are basically universal.
I believe this whole argument has lost sight of the target audience, the users. As a user if i can install, or be provided already, one piece of software that will cover 90+% of all situations I am likely to encounter, I am happy.
Spare a thought for all the users with little IT knowledge that want to watch their movie trailers and listen to song samples from the latest CDs. Don't you think they would be a bit annoyed if every site provided different format media that required their own player software? The content providers would be shooting themselves in the foot. Hence they would all return to a de facto standard, probably WMP because the normal user doesn't have to do much to get it on their computer.
In the end this EU decision (if it happens) will make no difference. MS will still be on 95% of PCs and WMP will be a simple download when the computer is first turned on.
And you know, if they haven't got any third-party players, they will still have some form of Windows Media Player on their computer. So WM is the safe, easy option.
Then why is MS getting penalised for people taking the safe, easy option?
More to the point, you can get Quicktime for Windows but you can't get WMP for Mac.
Yes, you can...
The majority of 'net users are still on dial-up, you insensitive clod!
But Windows Media Player does play other formats. It also plays MP3, MPEG, WAV, AVI, MIDI and AU format files out of the box. MS provided other options and there are plenty other pieces of software out there that plays those formats too.
The company could have encoded their videos into AVI or MPEG formats and reached 100% of the market.
Has the general PC using population ever heard of Firefox, GAIM or Thunderbird? I doubt it.
If the software isn't included, MS will just have a link on the desktop saying "Enable the World Wide Web", "Enable your Email" or "Chat to your friends instantly!", when clicked on will download a fluffy installer and install the modules to get it back to the full version.
This ruling, if it goes against MS, won't really change much. All it will do is make the EU feel good about themselves...
Let us just imagine that the EU forces MS to sell a stripped down version of Windows. When the normal user gets home, plugs it in and fires it up, they are going to want applications to help them along.
First, IE has to come with the OS just so they can utilise the standard web browsing capability. To download new software they need to be able to get to the web sites, why would they download another browser if they already have one? If IE is not included, where are these people going to go to get their software? It will be like going back to the trumpet Winsock days.
Secondly, a fairly sizable number of web sites offering sound and video clips use WMP format files to deliver their content, the user will download WMP to be able to watch/listen.
The stripped down version of Windows has now become the full version through the wants of the user.
The only people who will buy the stripped down version of windows are probably the same people who use Linux/Mozilla/Thunderbird/OpenOffice, the only reason for them to change is to play games.
So when a company gets to the point of being the market leader, they cannot offer what their lowly competition does?
OS X has Quicktime bundled, that is legal
XP has WMP bundled, that is illegal
Yeah, that makes a lot of sense.
So just because Apple has a crap market share, that means different rules apply to them?
If they can't compete on the same level, they can go get stuffed.
Especially if they cost the same amount.
The EU may argue, but M$ has always given away WMP for no cost, other than owning a Windows licence.
Insightful, funny and interesting. Why can't mod points be assigned as a group?
Nudge, nudge, wink, wink. You know what I mean guv...